Wayne County voters decide a Detroit Zoo renewal and a new tax for the Wright Museum, Detroit Historical Museum and Dossin

DETROIT — Every Wayne County ballot on Nov. 3 carries two countywide proposals after the statewide questions: a renewal of the Detroit Zoo millage and a new property tax for three of Detroit’s best-known history museums.

Detroit Zoo. The Wayne County Zoological Authority is asking voters to renew and restore its millage to 0.10 mill, or 10 cents per $1,000 of taxable value, for 10 years, 2028 through 2037. The ballot language says the rate has been rolled back to 0.0982 mill, so the proposal renews that amount and restores the remaining 0.0018 mill. The rate would be unchanged from the one voters approved in 2008 and 2016, the language says. It estimates first-year collections at $6,145,462, which would go to the zoo for care of more than 2,000 animals of 200 species, education and senior programs and facility maintenance.

Macomb County voters have a matching zoo renewal on their ballots, at the same 0.10-mill rate.

History museums. The second proposal is a new tax. The Southeast Michigan Public Historical Museum Authority, a joint authority created by Wayne and Oakland counties under a 2000 state law, would levy 0.2 mill, or 20 cents per $1,000 of taxable value, for 10 years, 2026 through 2035. The authority supports the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Detroit Historical Museum and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum.

The ballot language estimates the tax would raise about $12,219,200 in Wayne County in 2026. After the authority’s administrative costs, 15% of the Wayne County revenue would go to the county to support other public historical museums in Wayne County.

For a home with $100,000 in taxable value, the zoo millage would cost about $10 a year and the museum tax about $20.

Local questions. Many Wayne County communities have their own proposals. Among the largest is a Dearborn Public Schools bond of up to $1.51 billion to carry out the district’s 2026 facilities master plan, including new preK-8 buildings and major renovations at all three high schools. The district estimates 3.14 mills in the first year and an average of 5.67 mills, according to the ballot language published by WDIV-TV. Others include a Dearborn Heights charter revision, a 3.5-mill public safety levy in Gibraltar and a Riverview question on selling part of the Riverview Highlands Golf Course for a park and about 400 homes.

Monday, Oct. 19, was the last day to register to vote online or by mail. After that, residents can still register in person at their city or township clerk’s office with proof of residency, through 8 p.m. on Election Day. Statewide early in-person voting runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 1, and polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voters can check their registration and see their sample ballot at Michigan.gov/Vote.

Updated Oct. 20, 2026: The Oct. 19 deadline to register to vote online or by mail has passed, so the voting details now say so. Residents can still register in person at their city or township clerk’s office with proof of residency through 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Sources:
WDIV-TV ClickOnDetroit, “What proposals are on Wayne County’s 2026 general election ballot? Here’s the list,” Oct. 16, 2026 (full ballot language for the zoo and museum authority proposals, revenue estimates, Dearborn Public Schools bond, local proposals), https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2026/10/13/what-proposals-are-on-wayne-countys-2026-general-election-ballot-heres-the-list/
WDIV-TV ClickOnDetroit, “What proposals will Macomb County voters see on the November ballot? Here’s the list,” Oct. 15, 2026 (Macomb zoo renewal), https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2026/10/15/what-proposals-will-macomb-county-voters-see-on-the-november-ballot-heres-the-list/
Michigan Department of State, “Absentee voting” and election calendar (registration, early voting and absentee deadlines), https://www.michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/absentee-voting
Photo: Michael Barera, “Detroit Historical Museum July 2018 01.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), cropped; derivative under the same license, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Detroit_Historical_Museum_July_2018_01.jpg

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Tags: Detroit · Election 2026 · Wayne County · Museums · Millage · Elections